Wedge locked, sliding side jaw wrench



June 1949- E. L. GSTERDAHIT 2,472,338

WEDGE LOCKED, .SLIDING SIDE, JAW WRENCH Filed March 9, 1945 I 10v 6.222302 vI], .Z. L. Osterdwbl Patented June 7, 1949 WEDGE LOCKED, SLIDING SIDE JAW WRENCH Eric Ludwig Leonard il'lsterdahl,

Stockholm,

Sweden, assigncr to E. A. Bergs Fabriks Aktiebolag, Eskilstuna, Sweden, a joint-stock company of Sweden Application March 9, 1945, Serial No. 581,736 In Sweden February 1, 1944 1 Claim. (Cl. 81-151) The present invention relates to a rapidly adjustable wrench which steadily maintains its adjustment during operation, which does not loose its grip by wear, and which, moreover, is simple and cheap to manufacture. The in-- vention relates to a wrench mainly consisting of a, handle with a fixed jaw, a movable jaw and a locking member. The characteristic feature of the invention is that the movable jaw slides on the outside of the handle and that the locking member consists of two parts of the same shape, one on each side of the handle, which parts are connected with each other, and that the two planes coinciding with those surfaces of the handle and of the movable jaw which cooperate with the locking member, form an angle with each other and with the direction of motion of the movable jaw in such a way that, when the wrench is used, the Working force of the jaws tends to displace the locking member in the direction towards the surfaces of the handle cooperating with the said locking member.

The invention is illustrated on the accompanying drawing. Fig. 1 shows a side view and Fig. 2 shows an end view of the head of the wrench with removed locking member. Figs. 3 and 4 show side views of the head of the wrench with two embodiments of the locking member.

l indicates the handle, which is provided with a fixed jaw H and a movable jaw 2, the latter being shaped to two legs l2, l3, embracthe handle and located one on each side of the handle. The locking member 8 consists of two equal parts or halves which are also located one on each side of the handle and which are held together by a transversal rivet, bolt or the like 3. The handle i and the movable jaw 2 have surfaces 3, t, which. cooperate with the locking member 8. These surfaces 3, l form an with each other and with the direction of motion of the movable jaw 2 (see the arrows ill in Fig. l) in such way that the working force of the movable jaw tends to separate this jaw from the handle I. Some of the surfaces which cooperate at the locking may be treated in such a way as to increase the friction, but this is not absolutely necessary. The handle I is provided with a recess 5 (Fig. 1) for the rivet or bolt 9 holding together the two parts or halves of the locking member 3. In this recess 5 a spring 6 is preferably placed having for its object to keep the locking member 3 constantly engaged with the surfaces 2 3, t of the handle I and of the movable jaw 2.

According to Fig. 3 each part or half of the locking member 8 consists of a roll, a small wheel or the like. In Fig. 4, on the contrary, each part or half of the locking member 8 consists of a wedge-shaped member, in which case the pressure produced upon the locking member is distributed over larger surfaces, whereby the quality of the material of the looking member is of less importance. Other embodiments are, of course, also imaginable within the scope of the invention.

Among other advantages of the invention which have not been indicated above it may be mentioned that the movable jaw 2 gets a solid support from the locking member 8 also in the lateral direction.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A wrench including a handle provided with a transverse opening and having correspondingly inclined shoulders on opposite sides thereof directly beneath and parallel with the bottom of the opening, a fixed jaw on the outer end of the handle, a bifurcated movable jaw straddled about the outer end of the handle for lateral sliding movement thereon relative to the fixed jaw, said movable jaw including identical leg portions having correspondingly inclined inner edges positioned at an angle relative to the shoulders and. to the direction of movement of the movable jaw, a locking member including two identical parts positioned on opposite sides of the handle, a pintle extending through the opening for free movement therein and operably connecting the parts of the locking member together, and a spring seated in the opening and carrying the pintle for yieldably holding said locking parts against the inclined edges of the movable jaw and the shoulders on the handle.

ERIC LUDVIG LEONARD GSTERDAHL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 699,072 Brown Apr. 29, 1902 791,644 Paquette June 6, 1905 1,345,202 Litchfield June 29, 1920 1,382,248 Schafer June 21-, 192.1 1,459,739 Menzl June 26, 1923 2,390,570 Zimdars Dec. 11, 1945 

